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After months of anticipation, Doctor Who finally returned to our screens last weekend with a brand new face at the helm. Peter Capaldi’s first outing as the Doctor theoretically had all the kooky hallmarks of a good Doctor Who episode: a dinosaur roaming through Victorian London, mysterious automatons stealing human body parts, and the presence of familiar characters Madame Vastra and her wife Jenny. And yet despite this, the premiere of the show’s eighth season did not live up to the hype.
The immense build up to this episode made it one of the biggest television events of the year for the BBC. Given this tremendous excitement, it was not entirely surprising that the storyline was somewhat incidental in Deep Breath, because there was a more pressing question — namely, what kind of Doctor will Peter Capaldi be? But the problem for most of the episode was that the question stagnated and the Doctor didn’t really get to carve out his own identity. Much of the dialogue seemed like attempts to justify casting Capaldi in the first place, with pleas for acceptance issuing from multiple characters. This should not have been resorted to because Capaldi has more than enough acting talent to justify himself without unwanted help from the script. Sadly it isn’t until the closing fifteen minutes that he finally gets to show what he can do. It is at this point that the darkness promised by the teaser trailers is also delivered. In the episode’s most tantalising moment, we are confronted with a scenario in which the Doctor may or may not have committed murder. We are left, most fittingly, without an answer, but with the sense that this Doctor has a new steely edge to watch out for that might bring genuine excitement back to the show.
This scene aside, however, the saving grace of Deep Breath comes from other sources. It is especially the reappearance of Madame Vastra and Jenny with their humourous interactions tempered by serious undertones that give the episode greater depth. Clara (Jenna Coleman), to a certain extent, also provides that depth in a similar way, as her quips are given free reign, but we also see her struggles. Her attempt to escape from the automatons when the Doctor has seemingly abandoned her is genuinely frightening. But her principal struggle, that of coming to terms with the regenerated Doctor, is much less convincing. Clara isn’t the first companion to encounter this dilemma, and it’s certainly understandable to a degree. But the episode pushes Clara’s uncertainty about the Doctor so far that the story begins to trip over itself. At a critical juncture Clara’s faith in the Doctor is shaken, but she resolves that if she truly knows him then he will still somehow be at her side. On cue, their outstretched hands meet and faith is restored. That is, until ten minutes later when Clara gets cold feet again, proclaiming she doesn’t know him anymore and is about to walk away from the TARDIS for good.
The only conceivable reason to do this is to make room for one last appearance by Matt Smith, who reassures her and exposes some vulnerability in the new Doctor. Having a final send-off to Smith is touching in theory, but it’s also completely unnecessary. The doubts should have been resolved by this point, and if Clara literally needs a phone call from the previous reincarnation to reassure her that things will be okay, then it’s time to start worrying.
Deep Breath was a middle of the road episode rather than the dazzling debut that was expected. For now the show can boast tepid approval at best, and it is only the hope that Capaldi’s darker side will come into its own that retains any promise for future episodes.
